Last XXKiss Goodnight
by Eyepatchprincess2
Summary: I always had my nose shoved into a book, until the scent of cigarettes and cheap beer wafted my way. My simple life of equations and word puzzles would come to an abrupt halt, replaced with the smooth sound of bass and that soft, husky voice. The black mark on your heart threatens to consume everything around you, but I aim to rid you of your demons. KaitoxOC
1. The Red

Author's Notes: Hey! So, I haven't written anything since graduating high school, and I haven't written any fan fiction in much longer than that time period. But, here I am! Not sure if anyone will enjoy this, seeing as how there's a main character in the story who is secondary in the YYH storyline. Also, the other main character is an OC, and while I usually don't read much fan fiction with OCs, I thought of this idea a while back, and decided to write it down. If someone enjoys it, awesome! If not, hey! I gave it a go, right? Anyway, this story doesn't follow the entire canon storyline, but it follows quite a bit, so sorry if it gets a little confusing. Also, there will be quite a few flashback chapters (including this one), but I'll warn you ahead of time so you have an idea of what's going on. Well, enjoy! R&R?

Edit: I've changed the rating of this story, just so everyone is aware. It's for trigger warnings and such in later chapters. There's gonna be a little bit of racier stuff in later chapters, too. Nothing graphic, just vague mentions, and I don't want anyone to be offended or anything. I figured I should give everyone a heads up. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH, or any of its characters.

The Red

The sound of chatter filled his ears. The distracting noise forced him to draw his piercing black eyes up from his open book, and look into the small mass of people who stood in front of him, and next to him on both sides.

The youth around him, ages varying from what looked to be middle schoolers on up to young adults around college level, all clad in an interesting, and frankly quite tacky, array of interesting street clothes and modified school uniforms. Plaid skirts paired with fishnets and shiny black combat boots. Skin tight jeans cut off just above the knee (obviously well worn), adorning equally as tight band T's on their torsos and old, cheap sneakers on their feet, most likely the only pair of shoes they owned by the ratted nature of them. Tall, spiky hair. Lip rings, gauged ears, a bountiful supply of studs and safety pins. Both boys and girls with shades of hair color that spanned the entire rainbow.

He breathed in deeply, ready to exhale a disgruntled sigh, when a long arm wrapped its way around his shoulders and pulled him into the chest of a taller figure. The curly, black haired boy glanced up at this, eyes landing on a boy a good few inches taller than him with shaved sides on his scalp, leading to a tall, blue mohawk. The taller boys eyes were half lidded, appearing as if he hadn't slept in days, were it not for the cheery glint in them.

"Yu, you actually came!", sang the mohawk clad boy. As he looked down at the smaller boy, his eyes squinted, and a wide, excited smile appeared on his face.

The curly headed boy turned away from him, pushing his thick, black rimmed glasses up further on his freckled nose, revealing more freckles on his cheeks now that the frames were not sitting directly over them. "Trust me, it took all of my will power to drag myself down into this bizarre circus," Yu spat back with bitterness in his tone, "I can barely see the words in my book with this poor lighting, and comprehension of text is most definitely out the window with all this blabbering,".

The two boys were young and looked to be around thirteen or fourteen years of age. The first was Yu, with his short black curls atop his head, freckles strewn across his pale, square face. He wore his black, long sleeved school uniform with its golden buttons done all the way to the top, his white undershirt peeking out from under his collar. In his right hand, he still held onto his book, and his other hand sat in the pocket of his neatly ironed black school issued slacks. Plain, black loafers on his feet. A neat, prim looking boy.

He couldn't have been more of the opposite of his friend who still stood beside him, arm wrapped about his shoulder and leaning into him with a good majority of his weight. His blue mohawk stood atop his head, squared neatly. The gel he used must have been made with actual glue, seeing as how his hair barely moved when his head bobbed about as he let out a hearty laugh. He wore a cropped jean jacket, studs and band pins scattered about the breast of the jacket and spikes attached to the seams on his shoulders. Under his jacket was a loose fitting, comfortable looking band T-shirt with the collar removed by what had to have been a pair of rusty, old scissors, considering the jagged nature of the cut. The hand that was not insnaring his friend was tucked into the pocket of his baggy plaid shorts that came down to his knees. A pair of suspenders lay slack at either side of his body, running back up and attaching to the back of his pants. A black, leather belt was strung loosely around his waist, clearly giving no assistance with keeping up his shorts, considering it wasn't even threaded through his belt loops. Down at his feet were a clunky pair of black boots, untied.

"Ah! Come on!", cried the blue haired boy, "You've always got your nose stuck in a book! You need to get out a little. See the world!", as he said this, he took his hand from his pocket, and raised it into the air, gazing off dramatically into the darkness of the room.

"Tch," Yu scoffed, closing his eyes and turning his head in the opposite direction of his friend, "Yana, if you believe that _this_ could even come close to be a monumental experience, you're seriously disturbed,".

Yana's smile vanished, and he slumped against his friend again, his hand now back in his pocket as he gave a mopey frown, "Man, you sure know how to bring down the mood, Mr. Anti-social," he whined.

The black haired boy merely glanced at his friend, then squinted down at his book again, "This is hardly what I would consider to be an appropriate social event for two second years in middle school to attend. Especially on a school night," came his sour reply.

"Make that three second years!", came a shout from Yu's free side.

At this, both boys looked curiously to the left, and Yana immediately lunged forth at the sight of the voice's owner, a huge grin once again gracing that tired looking face, "Asato!", he called, raising his free hand in the air in greeting.

Walking toward them was a boy about Yu's height, perhaps only slightly taller, but not nearly as tall as Yana. He had a wide grin on his face, his eyes darkened with a very thin layer of black eye liner on his water line. He had a scruffy mess of blond hair atop his head, appearing to have not been combed in a number of days. He had on a white button down, both sleeves rolled up to his biceps. Only one side of his shirt was tucked into his dark blue, plaid pants. His pants fit well, not too tight, and not baggy. They came to his ankles, where he had folded the bottoms to reveal his sockless ankles that lead the eye to his black and white creepers. Well worn, with scuffs all over the white leather parts, and the sole, though at least an inch thick still, looked heavily scuffed.

The blond made one more bound toward his friends before being pulled into Yana's armpit in the same fashion he held the bookworm. He looked up at their captor, a wide smile plastered on his face.

"Jeeze, you sure know how to cut it close, bro," Yana said, his goofy smile still present as well.

Asato pulled back, yanking his head out from his grip. He placed one of his hands in his pocket, hunched over as he rubbed the underside of his nose with his free index finger, a smug look on his face. "Yeah, well I think the man of the hour gets the right to a late arrival," He said smugly, closing his eyes and straightening his back with his chest out proud, and brows raised.

Yu let out a disagreeing sound as he looked up at the blond. "I'm pretty sure that the backup guitarist isn't considered the man of the hour," He mumbled.

Asato's grin never wavered after hearing the comment. He looked down at the curly haired boy, "Hey, cut me some slack. At least I'm in the band, right?" he said proudly despite his friend's words.

Yana nodded his head in agreeance, finally freeing Yu from his grip. "Right, man!" He proclaimed, rubbing his nose in the same fashion Asato had just done, "Don't listen to Yu. He's just jealous 'cause he can't play any instruments like us," at this, he pointed to his chest with his thumb, chin up, "But, dude! If I could play my drum set half as good as you play guitar, I might have a shot at being a member of The Heavy Hitter!" he said, both hands now on his hips.

Yu let out another sigh, and turned away from both of them, his nose pushed back into his book. "What a clever name," he remarked sarcastically under his breath.

The two taller boys simply brushed him off, smiling stupidly at one another. "Yeah, yeah. We all know you think it's just a lot of screaming and noise," Asato said, waving a hand, "But, try to have at least a little fun? I mean, this is the first time you've actually come out to see us play, and the band's been playing together since nearly a year and a half ago," as he spoke, his expression softened, looking down at Yu's mess of black curls. "Regardless of whether or not you enjoy it even a little, I really appreciate you coming out, man. I really means a lot."

Yu's black eyes peeked up for a millisecond before returning back to his book, "Mm," he said in acknowledgement. He cared for his two friends greatly, despite the vast rift between their interests and his own. "Well, I think you'd better get up on the stage before the show's over, then," he said, pointing a finger toward the crowd that now swarmed the front of the stage, their screams loud and piercing.

Asato stiffened, his hair fluffing up as he jumped at the sight. "Aw, jeez! Thanks, man! I'll see you two after the show!" And with that, he ran past the two of them toward the stage, waving a hand as he pushed through the stampede of boys and girls.

Yana smiled proudly, and looked down at his one friend who still remained at his side. He placed his hands in his pockets and nudged the boy with his elbow as he looked back at the stage. "Hey, come on! Pay attention! Show's about to start," He said as he looked forward toward the stage where Asato was now standing with his electric guitar slung over his shoulder and his finger tips strumming and tuning the instrument.

Behind Asato, the drummer sat on his throne, sticks in hand, shirt off, and took a huge gulp of water into his mouth. The lights dimmed in the room darker, darker, until it was nearly pitch black. Suddenly, the spot light shined down on the stage, illuminating where Asato and his band mate were at the ready.

Yu glanced up at the stage, his book nearly covering his sight. He had only come to support his friend, and had no intentions of actually watching the show fully or half attentively. But, that resolve would not last long, as his eyes caught sight of two more figures walking onto the stage. Unlike Yu and Yana's blond friend, who seemed giddy and aloof as he stood waiting by his backup microphone in a way that showed he was just happy to be there, these two figures had a determined stomp to their walk. Their legs bounding upon the stage in unison, they approuched their band mates. Yu raised his hand to the edge of his glasses, and re adjusted them, squinting to get a better look at the two in the harsh lighting of the overhead stage lights now shining on them.

The one in the front was a tall boy, around Yana's height, but clearly a year or two older than himself and his friends. He had shiny black hair, short in the back, but hanging down a bit past eye level in the front, and parted slightly down the middle. His face seemed blank, as if devoid of emotion, not a thought running through his head. Like he was running on auto pilot. He was pale, and at a closer look, quite handsome in the face. He wore a simple black shirt that hugged his obviously toned torso like a glove, showing his strong chest and rippling abs. The crew collar was still on the shirt, but the sleeves seemed to have been cut off. Shining leather pants showed his leg muscles, and a simple brown belt secured them around his waist, though Yu was certain the pants must have been painted on with no worry of falling down. His feet had heavy black combat boots adorned with buckles that went three quarters of the way up his calves.

Yu could almost not even hear himself think as the screams got louder, the strong figure taking center stage and reaching down to re-adjust his microphone with fingerless gloved hands. His strong muscled arms tightened as he moved the mic to his mouth and looked out into the audience with piercing eyes, violet in color.

"How's everybody doin' out there tonight?" he spoke into the mic, looking toward the ground to tap the toe of his boot on the stage beneath his feet, hands still gripping the mic stand. This acknowledgement caused a sudden uproar in the crowd now reaching in toward the stage, fists held high in the air.

Though while the crowd seemed focusing solely on the front man, Yu's attention slowly rolled back to the other figure who had come onto the stage with the black haired boy. This figure was much, much shorter than the man holding the mic stand, and quite petite. Despite this fact, this person's demeanor seemed hard and jagged, as if they were ready to brawl at any minute. Looking past the glare that shown on his glasses, he watched the form walk up to the side of the front man, opposite of his friend Asato. The figure had jet black hair, save for a chunk on the left side of their head that was a soft pink color. Their hair came to about their chin with it parted down the middle, and framing their face, choppy and unruly, as if teased that way on purpose. At a closer look, Yu was finally able to decipher the reason for the much more petite form as he noticed them wearing dangerously short acid wash jean shorts, the bottoms that hugged their thighs stringy and uneven. Again, a pair of interesting black boots with ties up the length of the person's calves, only this pair had a slight heel in the back. Up, up, up those short but toned legs, and there was a comfortably fitting tank top dawned the name 'Megallica' across the chest. The arm openings on the top looked stretched from repeated wear, and under the tank top, a black band was present, thick and covering only a bit of the exposed skin on the person's sides. The shorts, the heels, the bra, this was clearly the only female member of the group.

She leaned down near where the drummer sat on his throne and took up a bass guitar, red and vibrant in the wash of mostly black clothing. As the girl pulled the strap over her shoulder and rested it there, the size of the bass seemed greatly disproportionate to her small frame, as if it weighed almost half of her. As she adjusted her hands, covered in silver rings, on the instrument and treaded over to her own respective backup mic, she threw her head back to move her messy hair from her dewy face. Her lips were painted with matte red, the same shade as her guitar, minus the luster. Her cheeks were pierced, one silver ball in each dimple. Her eyes were rimmed with a dark smokey black that made her deep brown eyes pop.

The small girl, most likely around the center stage boy's age, looked out toward the crowd. But Yu noticed something strange about the way her eyes looked. They were almost indifferent to the world around her, as if her mind were elsewhere, her thoughts in a completely different part of the universe. The determination on her face was ever present even still. And she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth roughly before shouting into the microphone.

"Let's get this damn show rollin', boys!" she growled, her voice course and deep for someone so small.

The front man walked quickly back toward the drummer and picked up his own electric guitar, and plugged it in, the feed back loud as he stomped back to the mic, "We… are The Heavy Hitter!" he screamed, and suddenly there was an almost deafening sound of his guitar shredding against the pick between his fingers.

The rest of the band joined in, bodies tight. Asato and the singer's fingers flew over the necks of their guitars as the music poured out. The drummer behind them wailed on his set, sending crashing sounds echoing through the room. But despite that, and despite the sound of the black haired boy now stepping to the mic and letting his singing voice be heard loudly, Yu found his attention focused on those thin, dainty fingers pulling up on the thick strings of a bass guitar, the smooth vibration ringing in his ears. Slapping those strings and moving her other hand up and down the neck of the bass with such skill, the black haired girl closed her eyes, and her body swayed to the soft sound of her playing.

To everyone else in the room, the sound of the girl's instrument was nearly drowned out, background to the violent guitar riffs from the singer and Yu's blond friend, and the sound of the drummer smashing away with his drumsticks. But that smooth sound of bass reverberated in Yu's ear drums. It rang deep, and Yu found himself stiffening.

Things began to happen in slow motion for him. The book that he had previously been so caught up in was now falling from his now slack grip on it, and dropped to his feet to be trampled on by more groupies pushing past to get a better view of the show. He pushed his glasses up on the side of his face and stared, mouth agape, and a deep breath pulling in through his lips, filling his pounding chest with air. It was the most surreal experience he had ever felt, his body seeming to go numb, and eyes glazed over with wonder at the smooth sound of the girl's playing. And as the show went on, his attention was focused only on that red bass, shining in the blinding spotlights. By the end of the first song, Yu knew that something had sparked in him, an interest. A hunger. A void that had been blasted into him that needed to be filled.

Skinny, freckled, brainiac Yu had found something that surpassed his love of words and puzzles and equations. And that love was radiating toward that shiny red bass.


	2. The Illusionist

Author's Notes: This chapter is suppose to be in real-time (so, _not_ a flashback like the last chapter). There might be a few things in here that are difficult to understand, but I couldn't explain everything just yet. Don't worry, though! All will be explained in due time! Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH or any of its characters.

The Illusionist

A deep breath of air filled his lungs. His chest rose, aching. As if his lungs weren't big enough to hold the air that his body craved so badly. A bright, white light shown in his eyes. A rush of warmth came over his entire body. As his eyesight returned, he found himself staring up at familiar figures. He blinked, focusing in.

"Kaito," said the tallest of them. Tired eyes. Curved nose that looked like he had broken it more than once in his lifetime. Tall, blue hair that was gelled straight up, with the sides of his head shaved. A baggy, blue school uniform. The man leaned down, his large hands resting on his knees as he squatted to get a better look. "Yu. Hey, man. You okay?" he asked, concern in his eyes.

The curly, black haired man that lay on the ground blinked again at him under thick, black framed glasses. "Mm…" he mumbled groggily as he pushed himself to sit up slowly.

With his arm behind him supporting him as he sat, he brought his other hand to his face, and brushed it roughly over his freckled cheeks, then pinched the bridge of his nose, wincing at the throbbing pain he now felt in his head. His breathing had returned to normal, but his previous lack of oxygen was obvious now that his head spun and ached. He shook his head, and re-adjusted his glasses on his face before looking up at the others surrounding him.

"Y-Yeah," he stuttered finally, his voice betraying him. "How long was I out?"

"No more than an hour at most," came a soft reply causing Yu to look at the owner of said voice.

Long, fluffy, fiery red locks. Glimmering green eyes, and a gentle face that bordered on the line between feminine and masculine. Arms crossed over their chest, wearing a pink, long sleeved school uniform. Long, lean legs stood gracefully still with black, school issued loafers grounding them.

Yu closed his eyes and let out a distasteful sound, "So, I guess I lost again," he said defeatedly as he leaned forward and pushed himself off of the ground to stand on his own two feet. He brushed off his slacks. His uniform matched the red head's, pink with long sleeves and black shoes. He straightened his back, pushing his glasses up as his black eyes glared straight at the green eyed person. "There's just no besting the great Shuichi, I suppose," he said, bitterness in his voice. He smirked at the other boy, "Or maybe I should call you by your real name from now on, Kurama."

"Don't sulk," came a commanding, sassy tone from below, forcing Yu to abandon his teasing, and look down.

A short, old woman with dull, pink, wavy hair looked up at him with large, wrinkled eyes. Her attire was interesting, like an old martial arts fighter. She turned her head and looked at the others.

"Your own self pity is the least of our worries right now, with this new enemy lurking around," she said, eyes closing.

Yu let out a defeated sigh, and nodded his head as he placed a hand in his pocket. "Yes, Master Genkai."

As he looked up, he took the moment to look around at the entire group. Other than himself, the red head, the old woman, and the blue haired man, there were five others standing in the room with them.

To his side, standing near the old woman, Genkai, was a boy about his height and age, with unruly, short blond hair. His face was thin, and his skin was pale, almost sickly, like he hadn't been out in the sun in months. His small, dark eyes were rimmed with a smudgy black liner. His uniform was black, the jacket cropped at his waist, with a long white undershirt beneath it. His hands were comfortably placed in the pockets of his black slacks. A boy Yu knew well and who belonged to his own group, Kido Asato.

As he studied his friend, a voice tore into the silence of the room. It was loud and boisterous, causing him to turn his attention away from his blond friend. The owner of the voice had curly, orange hair. His blue uniform shirt was open, his white shirt underneath showing his strong chest. His hands were stuffed in his blue slacks that were held up with a tight black belt, and his posture showed obvious agitation. His long face, with its rough, masculine features mirrored the reveal of his inner turmoil as it appeared his brain was working on overdrive.

The boy gritted his teeth, letting out an irritated noise. A hand rose to his face, and he began to count down on his fingers, "One, two, three…" He mumbled, half to himself. "W-Wait! Hold up a minute!" He shouted, raking the hand through his curls.

A shorter, thinner boy stood beside the red head. His hair was jet black, slicked with shiny pomade. His large, brown eyes flicked to the angry boy at his side. His hands never moved from the pockets in his green school attire, showing much more calmness than the curly headed boy he now looked at.

"What're you bitching about now, Kuwabara?" He spoke roughly to his friend.

The red head growled at his friend as his small eyes glared in his direction. He balled his hand into a first, and turned his body toward the shorter, black haired boy. "Shut up, Urameshi! You wanna go!?" He shouted as he grabbed the green collar of his friends shirt, and pulled him to his face, clearly ready for a fight.

A slender hand reached up and placed its self on Kuwabara's strong shoulder. The owner of the hand was female, with a blue girl's school uniform. From the looks of it, it appeared she had the female counterpart of Kuwabara's school outfit. She was thin, with long legs and arms. She had a bubbly, pretty face. Her bright, pink eyes looked on at the two boys about to brawl right in front of her. Her free hand waved absently, and she let out a nervous giggle, "Alright now, boys! Let's calm down!" She cooed, her voice gentle, friendly.

Though her plea was not heard, as the red head pulled his balled fist back, ready to strike the calm, black haired boy directly in his face, "Outta the way, Botan! This is between me and Urameshi!" he declared, his focus entirely on the smug boy in front of him.

"No," came another voice, causing Kuwabara's arm to slacken, and both boys to look behind them. There stood a boy with spiky, black hair, roughly a few inches taller than the old woman who had previously scolded Yu. He had a cloth wrapped around his forehead, his black, choppy bangs spilled over top of it, and in front of his piercing red eyes. Clad in all black, save for a white muffler that wrapped about his neck, the boy smirked up at the entire room, directing his attention toward the quarreling boys. "Let's hear what the idiot has to say," He said sarcastically, his eyes still focused, and never blinking. "I'm sure we'd all enjoy a little laugh,". He was clearly egging on the boisterous red head, insulting him to receive some sort of a reaction, which Kuwabara was glad to give out.

Kuwabara released the boy that he previously held in his grip, and turned his attention fully to the short boy behind them. He held both fists at his side, growling at him through clenched teeth, "You want some too, ya shrimp!?" He warned.

The short boy, closed his eyes, and titled his head smugly as he let a chuckle release from his throat. "I'd like to see you even try, you fool," he continued to pester.

The gentle, fluffy red haired boy Yu had spoke with earlier turned his bright green eyes toward the short boy, "Now is not the time, Hiei," He warned smoothly before looking at the tall, irate boy in front of him. "Come now, Kuwabara. What is it?"

The spiky black haired boy, Hiei, glared at the green eyed boy, "Tch," he scoffed, turning away from the group, hands still in the pockets of his black cloak.

Kuwabara turned his attention to Kurama, his previous anger now fading as he blinked at the shorter boy. He straightened himself, hands returning calmly to his sides. "Well, it's just that things don't really add up," he replied, tapping a finger to his chin as he looked up toward the ceiling.

Yu pushed his glasses up on his nose. The group before him was a curious bunch. So many personalities flying around. It was quite an interesting interaction, he had to admit. Though, he kept silent on this matter as the tall boy continued on.

Kuwabara put his hand out in front of him again, and continued on the countdown he had begun previously. "Just hear me out, guys. We've got this guy," he started, turning, and pointing his free hand at the blond boy, Kido, at Yu's side, "Mr. Guyliner, with that weird shadow control thing," This caused Kido to grimace slightly. Before the blond could react, Kuwabara's accusing finger moved and now pointed at the tallest one in the group, Yana, the one with the blue hair. "And this jerk, who stole my clothes and shape shifted into me. Whatever he called it… Copy, or something," Yana seemed indifferent to the comment, and merely blinked his tired eyes slowly at the red head's accusations, "And then we got Glasses over here,".

He finally brought his digit to point in Yu's direction, which caused the black haired boy to let out a soft, questioning 'Hm…?', but Kuwabara continued on before anyone else could get the chance to speak, "He's got that whole nerd power thing, something with words and stealing peoples souls and stuff, but that still doesn't explain all of this," The tall boy said, now gesturing around the room.

The entire group joined him, eyes darting curiously around to take in their surroundings. The room was strange, no doubt about that. The walls were skewed, and all of the furniture seemed like something out of the twilight zone. It was as if everything was on a slant. Something you'd find in a dream, as if the rooms were spinning around them, or like they were in some strange space time continuum.

"And when you," he pointed at Kurama now, who returned his gaze, "Me, Botan, and short stuff over here all went our separate ways to find Urameshi, that staircase was definitely not normal! First I was going up, then I was going down!" He ran his hands through his hair, rubbing his scalp in frustration as he tried to soak it all in and make sense of it.

Kurama lowered his head and closed his eyes, "Yes, I must agree," he started, turning his head toward the three outsiders, eyes narrowed, "I encountered a similar experience."

Botan placed a slender finger on her chin, and looked up at the ceiling, pursing her lips, "Now that you mention it, I do recall feeling rather dizzy. The staircase… flipped upside down. But, I thought maybe I was halucinating!" She giggled at her own statement, rubbing the back of her head. She turned toward the spiky, black haired boy behind them with a brow raised, "How about you Hiei?"

The boy simply averted his eyes, "Hn," That was all the confirmation they needed to know that he agreed with their recollections.

At this, Yana, Kido, and Yu all turned toward each other, a knowing smile on their faces. The three were silent at first, but after a second or two, soft chuckling made its way out of their throats. Yana shook his head, his hands holding his stomach as he laughed, "Aw man! I completely forgot to call!" He admitted, continuing to snicker under his breath.

Kido shook his head, the laughter dying out, though their smiles remained ever present. He turned his attention toward Yu, and raised a hand, pointing a finger limply at him. "We shoulda known better than leaving it to Yana," He started, "Shall I do the honors, or would you like to?" With this, he took his free hand from his pocket, a cell phone grasped in his palm. He looked at the black haired boy in front of him and raised a brow, tilting the phone toward him.

Yu nodded his head, pushing his glasses up, then reached out the same hand for the phone, "I'll take care of it," With that, Kido relinquished the phone to his possession, and stepped back to his place, hands in his pockets again.

Yu looked at the phone, the light reflecting off his glasses as he unlocked it. A few touches with his thumb, and he raised the phone to his ear with his eyes on the floor, and waited in silence as it rang.

The group standing on the other side of the room looked on inquisitively at the scene, eyes blinking at the strange display. Kuwabara and Yusuke turned to face one another, and shrugged their shoulders at the same time.

After a few seconds, Yu looked back up, "Hey…" Came his soft greeting. There was a faint reply on the other end, but the others couldn't make out anything descriptive of the voice's owner, as they were too far from the speaker. "Yeah, sorry," he said, closing his eyes. His expression was gentle as he listened to the other person on the phone, and he nodded his head to himself. "Alright, see you in a second," and with that, he pulled the phone from his ear, and tapped the End Call button on the screen. He pressed the lock button, and turned his attention toward the others. "Well, the answer to your question is waiting just outside the front door."

Genkai let out an exasperated sigh, and started for the door, Yana, Kido and Yu following suit. "Should have known the slacker would skip out early," She mumbled under her breath with a less than pleasing air. "Well, come on. You might just have met your match with this one, dimwit," She insulted as she passed Yusuke, her eyes darting momentarily in his direction.

Yusuke blinked, confused. Then, as he soaked the comment in, he balled his hands into fists, a snarl releasing through his gritted teeth, "Listen here, Grandma!" He started as he followed the others. He chattered on loudly, but everyone simply ignored his protest as they filed out of the front door, and into the cool relief of the night breeze. Though, as they stepped out of the hot sauna of a room, they all took in a deep breath, disappointed to find a scent of nicotine filling their noses.

Botan began to cough, and waved a hand in front of her face, trying to disperse the smoke they had inhaled. "Ugh! How awful! Don't I get enough lung damage from Shizuru's second hand smoke!?" She exclaimed aloud.

Yu smiled to himself, and he and his two friends broke away from the group with himself in the lead. They walked to the side of the doorway, and stopped just in front of something leaning against the siding of the mansion. The others looked over at this, seeing both Yana and Kido lean down a bit, one arm each interlocked over the other's shoulder with stupid grins on their faces. After acknowledging the form in front of him, Yu turned on his heel, and looked back at the others with a hand guiding their line of sight to whom the three were now doting over, and they finally could see.

A puff of smoke poured through pale, puckered lips. Deep set dimples, holes from piercings that had healed up, on either side of the person's cheeks. A small, slender hand dropped from their face, chipped black polish glistening in the dim streetlight, a half burned cigarette resting between their pointer and middle finger, rings on every digit but their ring finger, including a few knuckle rings. As the smoke cleared out, a short figure was revealed, not as tall as Yusuke, but not as short as Hiei. A mass of pastel pink colored hair covered their head, thick and fluffy, but tame none-the-less. A messy part down the middle, feathery bangs touching their dark eye brows, and tickling here and their along their small, heart shaped face. Eyes, big and deep brown, with smokey dark purple on the top lids, and following through around their bottom lash line. Thick, black mascara caused their lashes to skyrocket like daggers surrounding their half lidded eyes. A black, leather jacket covered in studs and pins and buckles, free hand tucked limply in its pocket. A tight, lavender crop top revealed a tone mid-drift, and low, hip hugging leather pants pressed against their short but proportionate legs. A loose fitting belt equipped with silver O-rings wrapped around their thin waist, chiming as the person shifted slowly from wall. Bringing their black heeled boot to the ground with a soft 'click', they dropped the remainder of their cigarette, and squashed it out with said boot. Deep set brown eyes met the others' gazes, and the hand previously holding the cigarette tucked its self into their other jacket pocket.

"Hey," Finally came the person's greeting, their voice definitely feminine, but deep and raspy, completely defying their small stature. "How's it going?"

Botan gave a distressed look, and leaned over toward Yusuke's ear, shielding her mouth as she whispered to him, "She looks rather grumpy, don't you think?" Was her proclamation, but Yusuke ignored it and locked eyes with the pink haired girl.

"Hey yourself," Yusuke greeted the girl roughly.

Yu motioned to the girl with a hand, smiling. "This is Umezawa Junko," He declared, his smile ever present as he spoke. His previously indifferent nature seemed to change in the presence of the small girl.

The pink haired girl, Junko, raised her eyes in the black haired boy's direction, mild irritation showing on her face, "Just Jun," She corrected him, her glare never wavering. A hand rose up, and she sniffled, wiping the bottom of her nose.

Yu turned to look at the girl who came to about the height of his chest, and put his hands back into his pocket, nodding his head. His smile softened as he looked at the girl, and he made a sound of agreement. "Just Jun," He complied with the girl's proclamation, his tone mild.

Yana took the opportunity to scoop up the girl's slender shoulders in his free arm as he noticed her distracted stare, pulling Kido down with him as he grinned at the group join front of them. "Junko is the fourth member of our squad, our little Illusionist! She's the one who made the room look all topsy turvy!" He confirmed, and suddenly the strange happenings from the mansion began to piece together.

Yu watched the three in front of him. The girl, Jun, who's fluffy haired head was now practically burried into Yana's armpit, gave up no fight against her attacker. She simply looked up at the group before her. Her dark eyes met with Yusuke's own, and a staring contest began without mention. Yu could feel a sudden tension between the two of them, and his smile wavered. He glanced at the other group. Their eyes showed their obvious suspicion, and their body language conveyed a sense of wariness toward his own company. The silence was deafening. The wind was the only sound that whispered in their ears in the dark moonlight. The breeze whipped at their hair gently, and sent leaves brushing past them. The uncomfortable atmosphere was beginning to be unbearable. He thought perhaps it may be time to chime in to explain something, but he didn't know how to convey the full story that they had come to teach without seeming stand offish. But, just before he opened his mouth to express the situation, he was rescued. A gruff, feminine tone came from his side, and he looked down at pink hair.

"So, who wants to get a drink?" Jun buzzed in, a faint smile on her lips.

And he was saved.

—

The lot of them had taken a short walk only a few blocks away from "The House of Four Dimensions", save for Genkai, who had opted to return back to her temple for the night. She had previously spoken to Yu and his friends, and requested of them to perform the task of getting the others into the loop. The seventy-something year old woman didn't take to the idea of entertaining a group of rowdy teens, and that was just when it had been Yusuke and his friends. Add on four more, and she was spent. Back to her quiet home, and a nice cup of tea (spiked with a bit of brandy of course, for good measure).

The teens had found themselves being filed into an apartment building, up a small flight of stairs, and into a spacious but cozy studio flat. The room was quaint and tidy for the most part. The walls were a neutral beige color, as was the fluffy carpet. A rather large bed, probably queen sized, sat in the furthest corner of the room, the white sheet set and light blue comforter made up nicely, with two cloud-like white pillows at the headboard. To the immediate left as they entered the room was the small kitchen, equipped with only the essentials. There was a white enamel refrigerator/freezer combo, a matching white oven and stove, a white countertop, a chrome sink (which was the only dirty thing in the room, seeing as how a few dishes were sitting in the basin of it), a toaster, and a coffee maker. To the immediate right of the door was a rather large bookcase, filled with books of various shape and size. It was full to it's capacity, and a few extra books now lie in front of the shelf on the floor, stacked neatly. Next to that was a small television sitting in an entertainment system, a few games and a gaming system resting below on one of the shelves. Looking directly forward as one entered, there was a sliding glass door that looked out onto the street below. By the window were two guitar stands, one holding up a long, brown and white bass guitar, and the other caring for a shiny black electric guitar. Beside the stands, an electric keyboard rested against the wall, along with a light brown colored, wooden acoustic guitar, and a box that had a few other instruments sticking out, such as a tambourine. One additional door that remained closed was situated beside the bed, the bathroom.

Yu, Yana, Kido, and Junko had led the way, and had entered the room first. Yana and Kido both slipped their shoes off with their feet, and hopped up onto the comfortable carpet, leaving their shoes strewn over the genkan. Yu removed his, and leaned down, picked them up with one hand, and placed them neatly in the corner of the space. Junko sat one foot on a short stool in the area, and untied her long boot, doing the same with the other, before she pulled them from her feet, and sat them beside Yu's loafers. The four dispersed as they came through the entranceway, and let the others walk in behind them.

Yana raised his arms up into the air, stretching them as far as he could, causing his body to quake. He let out a loud, tired yawn, and shuffled his feet toward the bed. He knelt down on both knees, and reached under it, pulling a dark blue bean bag out. He rolled over and slumped his backside atop it. As he did this, he closed his eyes, a relaxed look coming over his face, and he sank into it. His long legs and arms went limp, spilling over the edges of his new throne. "Ah, man… Using my powers, getting knocked out by a plant, getting punched in the face by a Spirit Detective, ugh!" He complained, still sprawled out on the dark blue bag. "I'm beat!"

Kido had followed behind Yana and grabbed a fluffy, hunter green sleeping bag out from underneath of the bed. He shook it out, letting it fall next to the periwinkle haired boy who sat reclining, and he quickly plopped down on his back, pushing his arms under the back of his head. He closed his eyes, and smiled. "Ah, some good ol' fashioned relaxation. Finally. What a day!"

Yu touched his glasses, glancing at the two lazy boys on the floor, and reached up for the collar of his shirt as he sat down on the bed beside the boys. He opened his shirt a few links, revealing the collar of his white crew cut T-shirt under it, and leaned back using his hands to keep him up. "Ever drowned, Yana?" Yu questioned, his eyes looking lazily over at his friend, "Because that's exactly what I'd use to describe the feeling of having your soul shoved back into your pulmonary cavity," As he said this, he sat up straight, pulling a cloth from his pocket. He removed his glasses, and proceeded to begin cleaning them.

Yana simply scoffed at this, and closed his eyes again. Kido had chuckled at their brainiac friend's comment, and shook his head.

Yusuke, Kuwabara and Botan all came in immediately after the crew and stood in the middle of the room, looking over at the others. Botan was the first to chime in with that cheery voice of hers, "So, ah…" She began, looking around the room, her blue pony tail bouncing as she moved, "This is where you all live?" She asked, her head tilting as she spoke.

Yu looked up at this, still wiping off his lenses. He opened his mouth to speak, but a voice cut him off, causing him to put his glasses back on his nose and look into the kitchen. There he saw the refrigerater door opened, and two legs in black leather sticking out with small, sock-less feet.

"No!" Came the voice, raspy. The figure stepped back, revealing the short, pink haired Junko with her arms full of a large opened box of beer tucked under one arm pit, a bottle of wine in one hand, and juggling two half finished liquor bottles in the other. She hopped back shakily, and pushed the pad of one of her feet against the door, closing the refrigerator with a thud. She turned toward the group, her smoky eyes locking with their bubbly friend. "This is me and Yu's apartment."

The sound of a the front door shutting made everyone turn, and there in the genkan stood Kurama, leaning down to pick up his shoes. His emerald eyes looked up to meet their gazes, and he gave a half smile, "Regrettably, Hiei will not be joining us tonight," he said as he stepped onto the carpet, leaving behind his black shoes.

Junko had shook her head and walked into the middle of the room to get the drinks on the floor, "You'll have to fill him in later then, Fox Boy," She said, still kneeling on the floor. She reached her calloused hands into the box that now sat on the floor, and pulled out four cans of beer, holding two in each hand. She pushed her self off of the floor and turned to look at the red head. "We've got loads to fill you guys in on still," And with that, she turned on her heel and padded over to the bed. She tossed a can to each of her friends on the floor, and handed another to Yu before sitting down. She pulled a pillow from the head board and shoved it behind her back as she leaned into the wall and cracked open her own can.

Yu graciously took the offered item, and the sound of three more cans opening simultaneously rang in as the three reclining boys opened their own drinks.

Yusuke had been the first of his company to sit himself down where the alcohol lay and snag his own beer, a stupid grin on his face. "Hey, if I'm gonna be up all night listening to the story of how the world's gonna end, I may as well have a few drinks!" He giggled, then threw back his head, gulping the drink.

The others soon gave in, and the pack all joined.

—

A few short hours into their session, the room was filled with a much lighter air. Getting to know one other (with the aide of alcohol) came easier than first expected. The story about their new foe had been given, or at least the important parts. Soon, laughter could be heard all the way out into the hallway, and the group were all less tense. Botan had taken it upon herself to snag two glass cups from the cupboard in the kitchen, and both her and Kurama were now sipping on a sweet, delicious moscato. Yusuke and Kuwabara had both opted for beer, but a few shot glasses sat atop the box in front of them, trace amounts of liquid at the bottom of them. Yusuke was laughing boisterously, his hand grasping tightly onto his can. Kuwabara's face was tinged pink, though he had admittedly only had one can so far, and two shots. He was a good boy, and didn't drink much. That showed now that he seemed to be the most effected by the booze.

Yana and Kido had had more than their share, and had even grabbed some unopened bottles of liquor out of the cabinets to replenish their supply. It didn't matter if it wasn't cold, they were on a mission. Their shot glasses full of clear liquid, they clinked them together, before downing a shot each. Kido shook his head, and both grimaced at the burn, but went right back to giggling with the others, chatting away.

Yu watched the scene, taking a swig of his beer. He had started slow, not much of a drinker himself. To be perfectly honest, he wasn't particularly fond of the idea of not being able to control his body, much less not being able to think clearly. His brain, after all, was his best weapon. And he thought it best to stay as clear minded as possible. But, he also was use to this sort of company, and joined it out of habit. As he looked on at the others, he felt a small hand on his broad shoulder, and he turned to his side to find ring clad fingers with painted nails placed roughly on him.

He smiled as he looked at the pink haired girl, and went with the motion as she used him to push her self up off of the bed. She dropped to the floor directly in front of the Spirit Detective, her legs folded Indian style under her. She raised her shot glass to his face, and poured some more jet fuel into it.

"You, my friend, are one of the funniest kids I've ever met," She declared in a clear voice. She had had what seemed like her own body weight in alcohol, but was still cool and collected, the only evidence of her buzz present on the bridge of her nose, and apples of her cheeks, a slight pink sheen coming over them. She had poured a second shot, and handed one to the black haired boy in front of her, who happily took the glass from her smaller hand. "To kicking some bad guys' asses!" She shouted, receiving a few cheers from the group around them.

Yu had stayed silent as he watched the scene. Without a word, he stood from the bed and walked toward the sliding glass door. He placed one hand on the handle, pushing it open as quietly as possible. He looked back at the group once more before he closed it just as quietly behind him. The air outside was much cooler, and stung his face and hands at first contact. The apartment had been warmed quite a bit with all of the people huddled up in jubilee. Yu had been warm when he had first entered the room, though. In fact, Yu was always warm. His large body produced a lot of its own heat, and this chilly breeze was just what he needed to cool off.

Adjusting quickly to the new atmosphere, he leaned forward and placed his arms onto the railing to hold up his weight. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of fresh air. He still held his beer can, half full, in his hand. The thought of finishing it just now crossed his mind, but there was just so much to soak in. Genkai had informed him and his group about the new enemy on Yusuke's horizon. Well, actually, he was _their_ problem, too. Opening a demon portal? That was some pretty heavy material even for his sharp brain to try and dissect. The thought of having their living world connected to some other dimension which held monsters who consumed the flesh of his own species. Imagine that, huh? Flying up to those pearly gates and being asked how you died, only to say you were ripped apart, limb by limb by a pack of hungry monsters (literally). The thought was enough to force a laugh up through his throat. Just as he released the sound, another followed immediately after. The sound of the sliding glass door shutting behind him. Next thing he knew, he looked to his right to find fluffy red hair by his side.

"Shuichi," He greeted dully.

The shorter, thinner boy leaned against the railing in the same fashion as the bookworm, a smile gracing his features. His emerald eyes glanced over at his friend, "Kaito," He spoke softly in reply. "Not much of a party go-er either, I assume?"

"Not tonight,". Yu looked out into the quiet darkness of the town. From the other's silence, it appeared perhaps he was doing the same. The silence was ever present, save for the gentle wind, and the muffled sound of their company in the room behind them. After a moment of quiet solitude between the two young men, the red head chimed in.

"Your friends, Yana and Kido, they think quite fondly of your petite friend," He said, and Yu immediately knew he had been referring to their small, pink haired companion. "She's a bit much to handle, I'd venture to say," He chortled, looking at the curly haired boy.

Yu smiled at the comment, and nodded his head in agreement. "The three of them together are far worse, I assure you. Junko alone is actually pretty lax, unless she's had a few drinks. Then… she begins to remind me of the way Genkai had described your friend, the Detective."

The kitsune closed his eyes and smiled at the thought. "Yes, I do see the similarities, I must admit. The two of them are getting along rather well in there. She's gone on to tell us about your band, actually. Strange, I never took you for the 'sex, drugs, and rock and roll' type,"He motioned quotations in the air at this. The words sounded so funny coming from his mouth that Yu almost laughed out loud at him, but he knew it had been said in that way on purpose. Still, it was out of character for the eloquent boy.

"It's a very long story, to tell the truth," Yu started. "One I don't believe we'd have enough time for tonight, seeing as how we do have class in the morning." The thought of having to get up early the next morning (actually, in a few hours) was enough to turn his stomach. How on earth would his teachers expect him to recite poetry or decipher algorithms with a hangover and no sleep? Well, he had done it before, and tomorrow would be no different, he supposed. As he thought about this idea, he looked at the red head at his side. He seemed deep in thought. He could practically see his brain working at this very moment. He had come outside for something, and small talk was not it. "Ooo, such a face, Shuichi!" He teased the dainty boy with a smile. "Come now, I know you've come out here with ulterior motives, fox. What've you got on your mind?" He couldn't have guessed what the other would say next, and so bluntly at that.

"Junko isn't your girlfriend," The boy said. No, declared. It was as if he was informing Yu, like he was unaware of his currently relationship status, especially with his own friend. It was a strange way to start a conversation, and he wasn't entirely sure where the other boy was going with it, but he decided to humor him none-the-less.

Yu pushed his glasses up, glancing at him once more. "Your assumption is correct," He replied dully. "Though I'm not sure why you'd be telling me, seeing as how I should know best of all."

This caused his foe to release a chuckle through his smiling lips. "My apologies," He started, both still looking out at the street. "When she informed us that this apartment was the current residence for both her and yourself, my first idea had been that you were siblings. But, when you had introduced her to us…" he was cut off.

"A different surname," Yu had finished Kurama's statement matter-of-factly.

Kurama turned his head to look at his curly haired friend, and nodded. "Yes. Also, you look nothing alike. So, my second train of thought was that she was your romantic partner." The green eyed boy was forced to turn toward the other when he heard him begin to laugh.

Yu could no longer hold it in, and began to hold his stomach as he bellowed his laughter loudly into the streets. This was the second time in one evening that his high school nemesis would hear his genuine, boisterous laughter. After his laughter had died down, he reached a hand up to his face, and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"What an unconventional notion, Shuichi," He said as his normal calmness began to take over again, only a smile remaining as evidence of his previous uproar. He placed his forearms back onto the railing, and looked out in front of them once more. "Come now, were you looking at the same girl I was?" He asked the other boy, clear amusement in his voice. His roommate was a petite, attractive girl. An edgy girl who seemed well seasoned when it came to living life on the streets. She was solemn, but made friends easily, as the party in the room was evidence to. Yu was the opposite of the girl in every possible way. He was not thin or muscular like Kurama, nor were his facial features particularly desirable, with a strong square jaw, freckled cheeks, dull black eyes, and curly, difficult hair. How on earth could the fox think for even a second that someone of her caliber would go for him?

"Hm," The red head turned back to join him in looking out over the balcony. He had tilted his head, his brows lifting in a curious way. "Yes, her looks are quite agreeable." As he said this, Yu could feel his chest tighten slightly.

Here it was, his school rival would profess his interest in the girl. He should have known this would happen when the boy met her. Tens only dated tens, and Shuichi and Junko were _definitely_ both tens. She would take one look into those dreamy green eyes, and the two would live out a beautiful life, have a beautiful wedding, raise beautiful children, and Yu would live in solitude for the remainder of his years. Preparing himself for the inevitable, he let out a sigh, and pushed off of the railing. But, as he did so, his companion said something that caused the world to slow down, and hitch his breath in his throat.

"Although, I can detect both of your scents on your bedding," As he said this, he turned his face to look at the freckled boy who was now frozen, not even breathing.

Yu could feel an intense heat coming over his face, and he knew he had turned beet red in lue of the other boy's comment. What an embarrassing thing for him to say! Not only that, but how could Yu even deny his words. The boy had an enhanced sense of smell being what he was. How could he explain? How would he even continue the conversation? The sting of humiliation on his cheeks was only getting worse and worse as he stared wide eyed and stuttering.

"I-I… W-we just… I-It's not like that!" The bashful boy finally spat out, his hands raising up in front of him in defense. As he did this, his shaky hands dropped his half empty can of beer into the balcony floor, spilling the liquid on the cement. He looked down at the mess, his breathing still unsteady. A soft chuckle forced him to turn his attention back to the boy in front of him, and he found that gentle face smiling back at him cooly.

"There's no need to fret, I never assumed as much," He assured the flustered boy, raising a hand dismissively. "My heightened senses would be able to detect _that_ on your person, if that were the case." Another snicker pushed up from his throat, and he touched a knuckle to his lips in attempt to silence it.

Yu could finally breathe in and release a much needed sigh of relief. His color slowly returned to normal, and his body began to ease up. His hands, however, remained a bit shaky, and he raised one to rake through his black curls nervously. His eyes remained glued to his feet, and he fidgeted. "S-sorry…" The normally arrogant tone was gone and replaced with one filled with uncertainty. The fox seemed to catch onto this, and decided perhaps he should continue on.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you. I've never seen you so rattled before, Kaito," Kurama assured, his smile still present.

Yu finally looked up to meet the other's eyes, and he let another sigh escape his lips. "No, I'm fine," He placed his hands in his pockets and turned his body back toward the town in front of them. They were quiet for another moment. It seemed like the other boy was waiting patiently for him to speak, having caused such a stir from his previous comments. After a while of standing in the silence, Yu finally found his composure once more. "She gets cold at night," He said quietly, almost whispering. As he said this, he could feel his freckled cheeks regain a bit of heat, and the blush made him want to bury his face. Saying it out loud was strange, especially when he was saying it to _him_. "And I'm always hot, so… It works out for both of us. She can warm herself on my chest, and I can regulate my own body heat with hers," As he spoke, he placed a hand absent mindedly onto his broad chest.

Kurama's face showed concern, but he turned away to look in the same direction as Yu. He crossed his slender arms over his chest, and leaned against the cold sliding glass door behind them. "Perhaps…," He seemed to be mentally choosing his next words carefully. "Perhaps you're unaware." He said. This was a curious statement that Yu could not discern the meaning of. Did his demon senses pick up on something his lesser human senses could not?

"Hm?" Yu glanced over at the other boy, curiosity showing on his face. "What're you referring to?" He asked.

Green eyes looked his way. He seemed to study the curly haired boy, looking for something in his body language. Looking for something in his eyes. Whatever he had been searching for, he hadn't found it. "Mm. Nothing," He spoke dismissively.

Yu looked at the other boy, thoughts running through his head. His blush had disappeared fully, and his color had returned to normal finally. He knew the fox was cunning, always three steps ahead. How could he ask him a question to which he would receive a discernible answer? Clearly he would simply dodge a half-assed question, but maybe if he worded it right, the red head would reveal his train of thought. Suddenly, the sliding door opened from behind them, pulling the bookworm from the confines of his own mind, and the sound of laughter and loud music filled his ears. He turned to face the door, and found his blond haired friend, Kido, peeking his head outside and looking up at them from floor of the apartment with a drunken smile plastered on his face.

"Kaito, Kurama!" The blond greeted them in a shout. He had definitely gotten quite inebriated since the two had left the room. Those shots of hard liquor were definitely taking their toll. "Come back inside, you dweebs! Stop being so anti-social and come get your back cracked by Jun-Jun!" He gave a wide, exaggerated wave toward the room, causing the two outside to peek their heads into the doorway. In the middle of the room, everyone else had gathered in the center, and they found Yusuke lying on his stomach, arms and legs sprawled out on the floor, and Junko standing on his back, barefoot and surfing him like she were riding a wave in the ocean.

The pink haired girl looked over at the doorway, and she motioned for them to enter, spilling a bit of her beer that she held loosely by the top of the can, pinky out. She was wobbly on her human platform, her motor skills clearly beginning to fail. Finally, she was looking quite muddled herself. "Come on in, boys!" She shouted over the sound of the CD player blaring heavy rock music in the background.

Yu smiled at the sight, and re-adjusted his glasses before entering the room again, the fox trailing just behind him. "We had better have a few more drinks. Something tells me we're going to need to catch up," He warned, receiving a soft laugh from the red head.

"Agreed."


	3. The Demand

Author's Notes: This chapter begins in real time, and there is a flashback at the end. I've made it obvious, but I figured I should give everyone a quick little heads up.

The Demand

A raspy voice called his name. The bitter scent of coffee wafted in his face. The weight shifted on the bed. "Yuuu," The voice cooed. But, he couldn't will his eyes to open. He scrunched his face, and brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. His glasses were no longer on his face. When had he taken them off?

After Yu and Kurama had returned to the festivities, he had been egged on by the group to indulge in shot after shot of hard liquor. He could remember the barrage of hands in front of his face offering the drinks one after the other. Yusuke, Kido, Yana, and Junko. They had all continued to pour the curly headed boy shots, offering them up to the befuddled bookworm. And in his drunken haze, he had gladly taken the shots off of their hands and downed them quickly. Unfortunately for him, he had been so caught up in partying that he had forgotten one little thing. He had school in the morning.

As he now pushed himself up and leaned on one elbow, blankets strewn all about him, he felt his head begin to pound. He continued to keep his eyes closed fearing that the light of the morning sun would burn his retina. But, despite his better judgement, he covered his face with his hand and peeked through his fingers with one eye. He was right. The light was currently burning his eyes right out of their sockets. This caused him to groan distastefully.

He could hear someone laugh gruffly under their breath, and he removed his hand to look up at his antagonizer. There he found a mess of tangled pink hair, and a small girl sitting on the edge of the bed. Brown eyes looked down at him, dark makeup smudged all over them. She had clearly slept in her makeup from the day before. Though, even without the makeup, it was clear she had dark bags under her eyes. As he studied this, a white mug was raised to his face, and he inhaled the delicious scent of coffee.

"You might want to drink some of this," Came Junko's rough voice. She gave a half smile, and Yu grabbed the mug from the top rim. "You've only been asleep for about an hour and a half," The girl informed him.

Yu made an irritable sound to acknowledge the girl's informative comment, and raised the cup to his lips. He took a big gulp, and swallowed hard. He cringed at the taste. There was no sugar or creamer in the bitter drink. "You know, drinking coffee after a night of partying isn't the best plan of action, because," The girl cut him off mid-sentence.

"It dehydrates you," She finished, and hopped off of the bed. "Yeah, you tell me that every time."

Yu raked a hand through his curls as he leaned back against his pillows, and closed his eyes with a chuckle. "And yet, you continue to make it every time," He shook his head, and took another sip of the jet fuel. He grimaced at the taste again, and pulled away. "On top of that, your coffee leaves quite a lot to be desired."

Junko turned on her heel to face him, her thick birds nest of a mane still tickling her cheeks. "Don't like it, don't drink it," She spat as she leaned over and snatched the mug from his larger hands. She padded her bare feet across the wooden floor, and Yu watched her as she walked away with her back turned toward him.

He was use to her short temper by now. And he knew it wasn't real anger, perhaps just a bit of agitation. She had, after all, gone through the trouble of making something for him before he woke. He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a third voice in the room, and he turned quickly toward the direction said voice had come from. There standing in front of the entrance way was the green eyed fox, a mug cradled in both hands. He tilted his head, his messy hair spilling over his shoulder. "You _should_ drink something with caffeine, Kaito," He said as he took a sip of his drink. As he swallowed, he winced. It was barely noticeable, but Yu had caught it.

Yu gave an indifferent look at the fox, and turned to grab his glasses that he now found sitting on the headrest. He pushed them onto his face, his smile now gone. "Shuichi," He greeted the boy dully. "I wasn't expecting to see _you_ here still. But, I see Jun has taken it upon herself to poison the both of us with that foul drink," He said as he threw his legs over the side of the bed.

Kurama gave a faint smile at this. "I've had worse," He assured him.

Smoky brown eyes shot a glare in his direction, and she turned away as she chugged the hot coffee from the mug previously belonging to the raven haired boy sitting on the bed. After finishing the last drop, she pulled the cup from her lips. "Ah…" She released through gritted teeth. "It's not suppose to taste good. It's meant to get the job done. Or would you prefer a frothy latte, your highness?" She had placed the mug roughly on the entertainment system in front of her, and turned to face the two boys with arms crossed over her chest.

Yu couldn't surpress the soft laugh that escaped his lips, and he stood from the bed. "My, my," There was arrogance in his voice. He had to admit, his friend's sassy tone was frustrating at times, but when her irritation was aimed at his enemy, there was something so gratifying about it. He would have to mentally snapshot this moment forever in his mind for his own personal amusement.

Kurama raised a hand in defense. "No, my apologies. The is just fine."

Junko nodded her head, and pushed back to lean against the entertainment system where her mug sat. "Glad we could come to an agreement," She snarled, then looked back at her roommate. "Oh yeah, everyone else left about an hour ago to go home and change and shower for school. Shuichi stayed, because in case you forgot, the two of you have class in about a half an hour," She informed the boy, and grabbed the mug off of its resting spot, her small feet trudging toward the kitchen.

Yu's breath hitched in his throat. He quickly looked down, and pushed the sleeve of his pink uniform shirt up (he had apparently gone to bed in his clothes from the day before). Sure enough, the watch on his wrist mirrored the girl's decree. He released a series of distressed sounds, is eyes wide with terror. His eyes then shot toward the door, and he booked it. He ran full speed for the door, stumbling as he tried to slip on his shoes. As soon as they were on, he swung the door open and was down the hall in the blink of an eye.

Kurama still stood in the entranceway, dumbfounded by the boy's sudden burst of energy. He glanced at the wide open door, and blinked curiously. "I suppose he _does_ take his studies seriously…" He spoke softly to himself. As he said this, he felt something press against his chest with force. He turned his attention down, finding a black school bag shoved against him, a small hand pressing it in place. He followed the length of the muscled arm up, and his green eyes met a pair of brown ones.

Junko let go of the bag as the red head wrapped his arms around it hesitantly, and she snatched the mug from his hands. "He probably wants to beat you there," She explained taking a sip of the boys coffee.

Green eyes blinked at this, and his body untensed. He was quiet as he looked at the short girl.

"If he can beat you at _anything_ , he won't hesitate to give it his best. So, do me a favor and take him his school bag, would you?" She began to shuffle back toward the kitchen. "He's got homework that he needs to turn in."

— — — — —

Shortly after his breathless arrival (he had jogged the whole way), Yu had dropped into his seat with a huff, ready to begin first period. Just as he closed his eyes to relax for a moment, he realized one important little thing; his school bag. _Damn._ Getting to school before his nemesis would do him no good with his finished assignments resting back at his flat. He hunched forward over his desk, shoving his face into his hands and letting out a loud groan. Why him? He chalked it up to fate. Shuichi was just meant to best him in everything. And a successful first period would be just another checkmark he could mentally tally in the red head's name.

Just as he had accepted his fate, he felt a presence suddenly standing in front of him, and something sit gently on his desk. Slowly, he pried his hands from his face and found his black school bag sitting directly in front of him. The handle of it had a set of slender fingers curled around it, and he looked up to find the red head looking down on him with a genial smile on his face.

"In your rush, you may have forgotten one little detail," Kurama said to the boy as he released the handle and placed both hands into his pockets.

Yu gave a relieved expression, his hands dropping onto his desk. "Jun," He whispered under his breath. He couldn't count the amount of times she'd pulled through for him when it came to things of this nature. Sure, Yu was much more intelligent when it came to schooling and book smarts, but the girl was a lot more practical and less likely to be thrown off in a fit of panic. In fact, did the girl panic? Or, was she always cool headed? He wondered sometimes.

"Yes," The red head said softly. "She insisted that I bring this to you." There was a quiet moment between the two of them as the other students began to file into the room, chattering away.

Yu began to open his bag and look through his belongings, half hoping that the slender boy in front of him would sit down elsewhere. But, his mental request was not to be met.

"It seems like she knows you rather well," The fox said as he took a seat beside the black haired boy. He turned his head to face him, and leaned his elbows on his desk, interlocking his fingers and resting his chin on top of his hands. "How long has it been?" He inquired.

Yu had pulled a set of papers out of his bag and now had them shoved in front of his face, studying them. He glanced over at the other boy for a split second before looking back at his work again. "Since I've known Junko, you mean." He said, receiving a sound from the other boy that confirmed his remark.

Yu pushed his glasses up and set his papers back down onto his desk. He closed his eyes, and a gentle smile found its way onto his lips. "It's been almost four impossibly exciting years," He spoke softly. He could feel green eyes on him, but that wouldn't deter him from his daydreaming. The memories came flooding back, welcomed in the boy's still slightly hungover brain.

— — — — —

 **Four years earlier**

Barely a week after seeing his friend Kido play with The Heavy Hitter for the first time, Yu had asked his parents if he could take up something other than the piano. Instead of playing on keys, he wanted something with strings. He had somehow convinced his very conservative parents to allow him to start playing the bass guitar. And instantly, his routine began to change.

He was able to juggle both his studies and love of books and video games easily with his new found infatuation with the stringed instrument. He would portion out the remainder of his day after school, with enough time to finish his homework, read a bit of his books, and then an hour before bed, he would pick up his bass and play straight through. Sure, at the beginning, he had expected to be perfect at it, as he was with mostly everything he tried to take up. But, despite his ideals, he sounded nothing like the way that girl had played. She had made it look so easy. With her eyes closed, her fingers had run along the neck of the guitar and plucked at the strings as if she had known the object since birth. Like it had been part of her. But, when he played, it was just noise. Senseless, annoying noise. The frustration was insurmountable to the young middle schooler.

Weeks went by, and the boy went on with his new routine. Get up, eat, go to school, go home, do homework, read a book, play bass. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. And still, while his playing quickly became pleasing to one's ears, he couldn't get the instrument to sound the way that raven haired girl had. He had never met his match before. And he hated the idea. He could remember throwing the bass on the floor many times when the thought crossed his mind. He would be in the middle of reading and he would think of it, and his rage would get the best of him, and he'd tear the pages from the spine. He would be playing games, and it would creep into his brain, and he'd yank the controller from the console and toss it on the floor. He had never been second best at anything. Ever. Everyone had sung his praises saying how smart the boy was for a second year in middle school, but he couldn't think of anything but that stupid bass cradled in the girl's ring covered fingers. She didn't look smart at all. If anything, she looked like trash. With her ratty hair and her tattered clothing. How could she be better at _anything_?

One weekend, he had received a call on his house phone. It had been Kido urging the boy to come hang out at a local music cafe' just a few blocks from his home. When Yu refused, Kido insisted, saying he and Yana had something important to tell him. And so, the boy reluctantly informed his parents, and he headed out.

When he arrived at the cafe', he saw his two colorfully dressed friends standing and waiting for him outside. Yana with his black and white plaid pants, patent white combat boots, sleeveless band shirt, studded vest, and wrist bands. And Kido, with his slightly more conservative tattered, skin tight jeans, a pair of black and white classic chucks, and a tight fitting, black hoodie that was zipped up and had some patches safety pinned to it. Yu had always felt so out of the loop with them when they were in public. His usual attire was much more normal, just a polo, kaki slacks, and a pair of shiny black dress shoes. Yeah, he was definitely the outcast of the three.

Yu stopped in front of the boys and rose a hand in greeting, "Afternoon."

Kido turned his head, facing the boy. He grinned, reaching out an arm and locking it around the slightly shorter boy, "Yu! Boy, do we have news for you!"

Yana raised his arms and placed them behind his head, his wide, stupid grin plastered on his face. He followed behind the two shorter boys as they entered the cafe'.

The inside of the cafe' was dimly lit, and the walls were covered in all things music. There were photos of musicians and bands, album covers, notes and lyrics pinned to the wall, and every tiny space where the wall was showing, the patrons of the cafe' had signed their names and written little notes. It was a surprisingly homey atmosphere, despite the interesting decorations and even more interesting customers sitting at the tables and booths.

Yu and his friends had sat down at a high table in the corner of the room. He had only gotten a milkshake, as he had already eaten lunch an hour ago. Kido was chomping down on a juicy burger, and Yana had taken Kido's fries. Yana always seemed to forget to bring money when they went out to eat. And Yu was beginning to suspect he was just trying to get as much free food as he could possibly sneak out of his two friends. But, Yu knew Yana's financial situation at home had always been an issue, so the two boys didn't mind sharing with him.

Through a full mouth, Kido began the conversation. "Yeah, so," He started, a bit of food falling from his mouth and onto the table. The blond had ignored it, but it made Yu cringe at the sight. "Yana wanted to let you in on our little secret."

The boy with the blue mohawk looked up from stuffing his face with fries, and blinked his tired eyes at the other two. "Uh, what?" Yu could have face planted right then and there, right into that table. And if he had, he hoped it would have knocked him out. Yana had a heart of gold and always helped anyone who needed it, but the boy was one of the dumbest human beings he'd ever had the pleasure of being acquainted with. If it wasn't such an endearing quality, Yu may not have been able to put up with his antics.

"The idiot's in the band," Came a male voice.

Yu turned his head, and his eyes met violet, covered with feathered black hair. There was nothing in those eyes. No thoughts. No emotions. They were cold.

"Hagiri!" Kido jumped in his seat, and smiled at the older boy. "Yu, this is Hagiri Kaname. He's The Heavy Hitter's lead singer, and he also plays some pretty sick guitar," He informed the curly haired boy matter-of-factly.

The violet eyed boy, looked at Yu, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward, faking a smile. "How's it going?" Was his half-hearted greeting.

Yu nodded his head at him in recognition, but decided not to speak. Something about this guy didn't seem right. Something was off. His gut was telling him that he wasn't someone he wanted to associate with if at all possible. But, now that both of his best friends were in the same band as him, he supposed it would be a little bit more difficult than he'd prefer to avoid him. Instead of continuing a conversation with him, he turned back to Yana and Kido. "I thought your band already had a drummer, though," He stated.

"That asshole?" Came a fifth voice. Yu wasn't the best socializer, so having another party member join the group just made the day that much more bothersome. Despite his thoughts, he turned back toward the older boy standing by their table, and his eyes met smokey brown.

Yu's breath hitched in his throat, and he chomped hard on his tongue to keep from making a sound. It was _her_. The bassist of The Heavy Hitter. The girl who had inspired the bookworm to take up the stringed instrument that brought him so much more stress than the damn thing was worth. What would he say to her? All the frustration and anger he felt toward her knotted in his chest as he stared directly into her deep set eyes, rimmed with smudged black eyeshadow.

The black haired girl met his stare, never wavering. "That guy got trashed the other night at our place," She pointed a thumb at Hagiri, "And he said some stuff that really pissed Hagiri off, so we told him he was out." She informed him. "Kido's a really good friend and a damn good guitarist, so we asked him if he had any friends that played the drums, and it just so happened that Mohawk over here plays pretty great." As she finished her sentence with her eyes still locked with Yu's, a long, strong arm raked around her waist.

Hagiri jerked the girl close to his side, and his hand held tightly onto her hip. His fingers pushed up on her black cotton shirt, and gripped tightly into the skin on her now slightly exposed waist. The girl finally looked away from Yu, and glanced over at her captor before her eyes shifted back to the three boys at the table.

Yu finally took in a breath, and his body relaxed a bit. He looked up at the older boy and pushed his glasses up on his nose. _What a possessive action._ "So, the two of you live together?" He inquired. He hadn't cared beforehand, but it seemed perhaps the violet eyed boy was trying to make some sort of a statement.

The taller boy looked down at his curly hair, that half-assed smile gracing his handsome features again. "Junko is my girlfriend," He stated matter-of-factly.

"Just Jun," The girl spat with irritation in her rough voice.

Violet eyes broke away from boy and turned back to look at the short girl in his arm. He smiled, and nodded his head, "Just Jun."

Kido cleared his throat, causing the group to turn their attention toward him. "Anyway, Hagiri and Jun-Jun invited you over to their place if you wanna come. Yana and I were already headed there, but we told them we were meeting you to let you know the news, and they said you're more than welcome to come hang out," He said cheerily. "If you don't have anything else going on today, that is."

Yu hesitated. His friends wanted _him_ , conservative, brainiac Yu, to hang out with his self-proclaimed nemesis and her clearly overly possessive boyfriend, who happened to be in a heavy punk rock band. And the two of them didn't seem like the most welcoming people in the world. And yet, later that evening, Yu found himself sitting in the cramped apartment. He and his friends had taken the middle of the living room floor as their own, and Yana and Kido were chugging down beer. Yu had known they'd drank, but it still dumbfounded him that his friends were thirteen and fourteen, and were already experimenting with alcohol. The bookworm preferred to keep a clear mind.

Junko was partaking of the same beverage as his friends, and was leaning against the entrance to the small kitchen. She was clearly a few years older, probably around sixteen years old. Still, she probably shouldn't have been drinking, but it was a lot more normal for a girl in high school to drink than a couple of middle schoolers.

Junko's brown eyes shifted toward the front door as it shut, and this caused Yu to look toward the door as well. He noticed his two friends were suddenly quiet. They seemed to sink into their seats as they now stared silently at the ground. They glanced at one another, then up at Yu. Yu met their gaze, and the two of them shook their heads in unison. Something was off all of a sudden. And come to think of it, where was Hagiri? Had he left the room? Is that why everyone was suddenly acting so uptight?

Just as he began to try to piece things together, he felt someone walking behind him, and he turned his head to see Junko walking toward the sliding glass door. She opened it, a faint squeak breaking through the silence, and stepped out onto the balcony. She didn't bother to close it behind her, and just leaned against the railing.

Yu looked at his friends once again, and they merely glanced at him before their eyes returned to the floor again. Something was definitely wrong. And since he didn't have any connections to this girl, he figured he didn't need to heed his two friends conspicuous warnings to ignore her activity. So, he pushed himself up from the floor and onto his feet, and headed toward the balcony.

"Yu, man. Dont," Yana protested in a whisper.

"It's better just to leave it alone. Yu, get back here!" Kido demanded softly, but released a sigh when his friend did not comply.

Yu now found himself leaning against the railing directly beside the black haired girl. He looked over at her to find her eyes glued on the street directly in front of their apartment. His eyes turned toward where she stared, and he found Hagiri sitting on a red motorcycle, ready to put a matching helmet on.

Hagiri looked at at the balcony, and he have a half-hearted smile just before shoving his head into the helmet.

Junko raised a hand to her lips, and blew a kiss to the boy before giving a hesitant wave.

The engine of the motorcycle roared to life, and the older boy raised a hand goodbye before speeding off into the night. The shine of the tail lights drifted behind him in the darkness until he was too far away to see. Yu wasn't sure what was going on, so he turned to look at the girl beside him.

She had placed her beer can on the railing. The can wiggled a little, but eventually it stayed put on the thin piece of metal. She reached into the back pocket of her dark blue jeans, and pulled out a beat up pack of Mild Seven's and a lighter. She pulled one of the little white sticks from the package, and placed it between her puckered lips before lighting the end. She breathed in deeply as it began to burn, and only pulled it away from her lips when she had put the pack and lighter back into her pocket. She held the cigarette loosely between her index and middle finger of her right hand, the one closest to Yu. She finally exhaled, a huge cloud of white smoke pouring from those glossy lips and drifting off with the breeze.

"You know, that stuff," He was cut off.

"Causes cancer? Trust me, if I live long enough to get cancer from these things, that's a good life. These are the least of my worries," The black haired girl argued.

Yu looked at her from the corner of his eyes. Something about this situation screamed for attention. But, he felt it best not to press his luck, seeing as how he barely knew the girl anyway. It wasn't his place to speak up about her boyfriend, nor was it his problem when it came to her obviously dangerous choices from the sound of it. Instead, he looked down toward the street. There _was_ something, however, that he did want to ask the girl. And for some strange reason, the idea of asking it made him nervous. He couldn't really place where his concerns came from, seeing as how he was always confident with everything. So, pulling himself from his thoughts, he opened his mouth to speak up through the quiet that consumed the air both in and outside of the small apartment.

"You're going to teach me to play the bass like you do," He said plainly. He left no room for debate, as in his mind, he assumed it would happen. Because that was just how the intelligent boy was. Arrogant and demanding when it came to anything he wanted to learn.

He heard the girl beside him begin the chuckle, and when he turned to look at her, she let out a boisterous laugh into the street. "Oh, am I?" She asked amusedly between giggles. She placed the cigarette between her lips and took another long drag before releasing it directly into Yu's face.

The black haired boy waved a hand in front of him to attempt to disperse the smoke, but it was too late. He was already coughing, and his eyes burned.

Brown eyes glimmered as Junko stared directly into the boy's black eyes. She inched closer to the slightly taller form until she was practically nose to nose with him. Yu felt his body tense, and he held his breath, watching a confident smirk appear on the girl's agreeable features. Her pierced dimples looked strangely adorable from these close quarters, but he wouldn't dare say anything like that out loud, especially not to _her_.

The girl chuckled softly again as she noticed the boy's fluster, and she finally spoke up again, her breath strangely sweet despite the scent of cigarettes lingering on it. "Bite me, kid." Was her final answer. She pulled away and headed back toward the door, stepping into the apartment.

Yu shook his head, finally snapping out of his haze. Did she really just refuse? He jetted into the room just behind her. "You're _going_ to teach me," He demanded knowingly.

The girl waved a hand dismissively at the boy and sat between Yana and Kido on the floor. She used her free hand to support her weight as she leaned back, and she crossed her legs beneath herself. "I don't teach bass," The petite girl said roughly through another puff of smoke. "And even if I did, I wouldn't teach the likes of _you_ ," She said with a smirk on her face.

The night had been a series of arguments from both ends. Yu with his raised tone and knit brows, and Junko with her cool demeanor and cocky smile. Eventually, Kido and Yana had found it quite amusing. They just laughed as the two bantered on, and their finished beer cans piled up as they watched Yu following the girl like an angry toddler who hadn't gotten his way. Despite the eerie way the night had begun, it had turned out to be rather successful. Well, not for Yu.


End file.
